History

I first had the idea to construct and develop a minibass in 2002.

When Konstantin Müller, who was then five years old, wanted to learn how to play the contrabass, I did some research on what possibilities were open to him at that time. The only instrument I could find was part of a do-it-yourself series. I tested the instrument, but found that it was not suitable for children from the ages of five to eight or nine.

I therefore began to develop a prototype for a minibass that was modeled on a number of other large instruments. My work as an e-bassist had taught me about the vibrating string length of the e-bass and I realized that this was exactly the right diapason for the minibass. Since I wanted as many children as possible to have access to the minibass, it also needed to be affordable. I therefore removed everything that was not absolutely necessary for sound and playability, such as the scroll and ornaments, and designed an “eight-form” that was easy to make.

Good playability, sound and an attractive design were and remain the most important requirements for the minibass.

The first “Freudenstein-Minibass” was ready for its first lesson in the spring of 2003 and was greeted with enthusiasm.

Its introduction was immediately followed by requests for further information from colleagues.

The “Freudenstein-Minibass” quickly became established in the “Bavarian bass landscape”, and spread from there throughout Germany and even Europe.

I have therefore almost reached my goal of enabling as many children as possible to play the contrabass.

After about ten “Freudenstein-Minibasses” were on the market, I received a letter from the attorney-at-law of a violin maker, who wanted to purchase the rights to my instrument so that he could file a patent application for the bass in his name. However, a patent application could not be filed as too much time had elapsed since its first publication. Since then many violin makers have copied the “Freudenstein-Minibass”. I am happy about this development since my objective was to enable as many children as possible to play the bass. However, there is also a downside, which I did not want. I have no control over the quality of the “Freudenstein-Minibass” copies being produced.

Since I can only make the instruments on a very small scale, I ask that customers place their orders far in advance. The instruments, which I deliver personally, are all of the same high quality. I cannot assume responsibility for copies.